Having the associated cost with the VCP makes it that much more ‘difficult’ to obtain. Not everyone will want to put up the $3k for the class. Are you just as qualified as someone who is certified? Absoutly and probably more qualified. But they decided taking that $3k class was worth the money and effort. Does that mean you don’t deserve a job in virtualization? No, but it also means you could get overlooked in a job interview if you don’t have that VCP on your resume. Again, it’s up to you.

Some organizations may feel certifications are worth their weight in gold, some could care less. If you want to work for one that relies on certifications, you better have that paper in your back pocket. If not, then prove to them you have the same skillset as someone who has that certification. As I see it, that $3k (for me), was well worth it. I can now put that on my resume and back it up with my skills.

To each their own.

The company may be cutting back across the board, but if departmentally, having certified employees is important; you as a budget maker will find places to squeeze out that extra money to allow your employees that opportunity.

Jason

Now if it’s someone who graduated from at least high school who took the course and passed the test, obviously they’re motivated enough to have some sort of goals. Would I hire them? Maybe. It depends on the other accomplishments they have.

Yes more companies are cutting back on their training budgets, but if you’re looking to find another job and a $3k class is standing between you and jumping up $10k or more in salary, don’t you think it’s a good investment to take that course and pay for it on your own so you can get that other new job and make more money? Why does a company have to pay for an employee to get certified? Sure, if their line of work is virtualization, they should have a VCP. If the company feels a VCP is a necessity for that position then by all means they should pay for it, but if you’re the one looking for that advancement to further your career, part of that responsibility of continuing education and certifications lies on you the responsible adult.

You’re argument for dropping the test requirement was valid 2 years ago when they only offered the one course, but you can take the advanced course and actually get something out of it. If you can’t get anything out of either courses, then you’ve obviously been around the block and know your stuff and you need to make a decision. If the VCP is that valuable for you, the $3k to sleep through the class will be worth it to you.

When I took the class I had already worked with ESX for about a year, so the class was boring and I didn’t get much if anything out of it. Was it a waste? No. it was the stepping stone in my career to get the VCP. Would I rather have taken the advanced class? Absolutely, but it wasn’t offered at that time.

‘For those people who are more then qualified to take the test: while $3K may not be a lot of money for some it certainly is a waste of money if they are not really going to gain anything from the class’

If obtaining the VCP is your goal, then I wouldn’t see how taking a class to get you to that goal is a waste of money.

If you’re into virtualization, you’ve probably spent quite a bit of money on machines capable of running ESX. Cut back on that spending and come up with the $3k. Again, once you get the certification, it opens more doors in your career path; that alone is worth the $3k of the class.

Also, did we not take the same test? I’m pretty sure the exam I took had questions which came from a large pool of questions; many I had not seen in any ‘study guides’ or online posts.

@Steve – If they made the test challenging enough only people with ability could pass it. There are some things that you can only learn in the real-world hands-on environments. How about a dynamic test that is different for anyone that takes it with the questions coming from a large pool so each person would get different tests. Also maybe a interactive test with some hands on like the labs at VMworld.

@Dave – I know it’s not a big revenue generator but it’s still a money maker for VMware. How about charging more to take the test if you have not taken the class, charge $350 instead of $175. I don’t doubt an experienced admin could get something out of the class but definitely not $3,000 worth.

-Dave